title: Hyperbaric oxygen in epidural fibrosis: is there a potential for treatment?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on epidural fibrosis formation in an experimental laminectomy model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four Wistar rats underwent L5-L6 total laminectomy and divided into three groups. Animals in the control group received no further treatment while animals in short and long term groups received 2,5 ATM ABS of hyperbaric oxygen for 3 and 7 days, respectively. The amount of epidural fibrosis was analyzed histologically at the end of 42 days of follow up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ratio of severe fibrosis was 57% in the control, 29% in the short HBOT, and 14% in the long HBOT groups. Although there was a clear trend towards having less fibrosis in the HBOT groups, the difference did not reach to the level of statistical significance (p=0.242), probably due to small number of animals used in this preliminary study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen treatment may have favorable effects on epidural fibrosis. Further studies with larger cohorts are required to prove our results.
authors.affiliation: Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alp Ozgun
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Borcek
authors.forename: Pelin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borcek
authors.forename: Soner
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Civi
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Emmez
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Sükrü
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aykol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000473:pathology; D004824:Epidural Space / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005355:Fibrosis; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D007796:Laminectomy; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar